CBSA - Blueprint 2020 Report - December 2016
Be a leader at any level: let the CBSA Leaders' Profile be your guide

In late 2016, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) introduced a Leaders' Profile, which illustrates the behaviours that are expected from all leaders across the Agency. It provides information on how CBSA leaders should behave – from employees to those at the most senior levels. The Profile supports all essential qualifications and expectations needed to perform at work, and it enriches formal and informal discussions about talent development. The Leaders' Profile is modeled after the Key Leadership Competencies for the federal public service and tailored to our unique operating environment at the Agency. Management at all levels and employees across the organization were consulted to develop the Leaders' Profile. This year, the CBSA President's Awards categories were adjusted to align with the Leader's Profile competencies. Through this project, our Agency has clearly defined positive leadership qualities throughout the organization, ensuring a bright future for the CBSA. Find out more from some of our leaders – in their own words!

Your Job, Your Story - I Work for Canada is an annual Prairie Region video series, with new episodes released during National Public Service Week. Each video profiles a local CBSA employee and how they contribute to protecting Canadians through their day-to-day work, whether directly or indirectly. It is an opportunity to celebrate and recognize the various important roles our employees play in the Region. Employees are also encouraged to nominate co-workers for a future segment.

Our leaders videos

Achieve results

2016-09-06
Caroline Xavier, Vice-President of Operations, Canada Border Services Agency, speaks about achieving results, empowering staff and working towards a common goal.

Transcript

Caroline Xavier, Vice-President of Operations, speaking on-camera.

Caroline: As the VP of Operations achieving results is in the DNA of what we need to do and what we need to do for Canadians.

And it's a personal commitment of mine that when I wake up every day, what am I trying to achieve? What is the ultimate result I'm aiming for? And I try and bring a little bit of that in what I do at work.

I make timely decisions. I like to make decisions. I'm not one that likes to linger too long in the domain of uncertainty.

So for me some of the behaviours that I think I demonstrate in order to achieve results that are really important for me is ensuring the empowerment of my staff. Ensuring that they understand the ultimate goal that we're aiming for so that we as a team can work towards achieving that goal.

So one of the examples that I think of and I'm most proud of when I think of achieving results is the one related to the Operation Syrian Refugees. And the reason why that's such an important one for me or one that really demonstrates a great example of achieving results is because that's exactly what we did; we achieved results. And because the time constraints were tight, it was an ambitious objective, an ambitious goal. It brought a series of people together. We had to bring a team together from all aspects of the agency. But then not only that but from other departments. Everybody had to row in the same direction towards achieving this target. And then we also had to take on this risk management mindset. We really had to be focused with regards to what it is we're aiming to achieve and really think outside the box in aiming to achieve that result.

It was a real challenge that we put our minds to and we really worked hard and really proud to say we achieved that result on behalf of the agency but for Canadians.

Canada.

Mobilize people

2016-09-06
Éric Lapierre, Quebec Region, Director St. Lawrence District, Canada Border Services Agency, talks about how everyone contributes to the mobilization or motivation in the workplace.

Transcript

Éric Lapierre, Quebec Region, Director St. Lawrence District, speaking on-camera.

Éric: For me, mobilizing people is something that's very important. It's a quality and skill that's very important as a leader at the CBSA. You have to understand that it's not a question of one person. There's not a model. The notion of a hero, who's in charge of mobilization in a workplace does not exist. It's every one's business. So everyone contributes to the mobilization or motivation in a workplace. The human aspect is very, very important. Listening to our people. Talking with our people. Understanding the realities of employees. Understanding also the reality of managers. So this human-aspect is very, very important because it's the foundation of being able to mobilize.

I'm moved to know that my people are stimulated and happy at work. A while ago, I was Chief of Operations at Trudeau Airport in Montréal. And we had between 270 to 300 employees. I would go around, from time to time. I would go around to hand out pay stubs. People had an opportunity to talk for 5 or 10 minutes, even 2 minutes sometimes… just to know how their day is going. And, I would tell you that this mobilized tremendously; this made people talk!

Canada.

Promote innovation and guide change

2016-09-06
Mark Rantala, Northern Ontario Region, Border Services Officer, Canada Border Services Agency, talks about the importance of having a positive outlook on change in general and says we can all be agents of change.

Transcript

Mark Rantala, Northern Ontario Region, Border Services Officer, speaking on-screen.

Mark: We can all be agents of change. We can all put our more or less our stamp on things, much like when we stamp somebody's passport. I mean honestly, if you want to get out there and you want to try and change something, you have to get involved.

One of things is you have to have a really positive outlook on change in general. You have to bring that positive aura into the workplace with you. That helps when it comes to facing any kind of change in the organization or here in the Agency itself.

Any change that comes our way I definitely want to learn more about it. I want to know how it impacts me. I want to know how it is going to enhance our ability to provide good client service. You know, and I think that's very important.

When you look at what we do here those changes can more or less help our ability to provide good client service to the public, on a daily basis, but also when we ask questions, it's how do those changes also benefit our traveling public, our clientele. And the only way that we can figure that out is by asking. We need to have good communications skills. We need to be able to challenge the status quo.

I think at the end of the day, you know when we talk about change there is a lot of resistance to change. But a lot of that resistance comes from the unknown. We don't like to be in the unknown. We would like to know what it is that is occurring or what will occur.

The only way that we can find that out is by either researching or asking questions. If you ask the questions, you get the research, you get the answers. And then by discussing with your fellow co-workers, what have you done, you broadcasted all that information out and now there is a greater level of understanding and you have just enhanced the knowledge base of that particular change that's upcoming and I think that is the best way that we can approach organizational change within the CBSA.

Canada.

I work for Canada videos

I work for Canada video profile - Travis Palmquist

2016-06-17
Travis Palmquist, Prairie Region, Border Services Officer, Canada Border Services Agency, explains how he contributes to the enforcement team in Calgary, Alberta.